HELEBORE 'JONAS'
November 10, 2012

The plant pick this week is a shining star in the dark and cold winter months in your garden. Hellebore ‘Jonas’ is a part of the Gold Collection of plants from Skagit Gardens. This one really shows off during the next few months with snow white blossoms that age to a light green and, in cooler weather, a pinkish color. The blooms on this plant don’t face the ground like some of the other varieties of hellebores, but face up so you can see them from a distance. The white blooms really stand out against the dark green foliage. One of the best things about this plant is that it can be indoors for the holidays and makes a great gift for the plant lover on your list. It even comes with a special holiday gift tag. Once the holidays are over you can put the plant outside in a sheltered area for a few days and then plant it in the ground as long as the ground is not frozen or waterlogged. Then you can enjoy this wonderful plant year after year.
 

UNCINIA 'BELINDA'S FIND'
October 13, 2012

Our plant pick this week is a great 'find' for the northwest garden. The Uncinia 'Belinda's Find' is also known as a 'hook sedge'. It is a real standout in the fall garden. The glossy, dark bronze leaves have cherry edged margins. It will get about a foot tall and a foot wide. It is marginally hardy, surviving to about 10 degrees, but will weather most of our tough winters with a little protection. It is a great plant when it is paired with other perennials like rudbeckias, chrysanthemums and asters. Belinda's Find will tolerate most soils, but prefers rich moist soils with good drainage and it loves containers.

We found this great Skagit Gardens plant at the Garden Corner
(503-885-1934) in Tualatin, but it can be found anywhere Skagit Garden plants are sold.
 

SEDUM 'ELSIE'S GOLD'
 October 6, 2012

The end of summer and early fall begs for plants that don’t look tired or overgrown.  Our plant pick this week fills the bill for just such a plant.  Sedum ‘Elsie’s Gold’ is a great plant for our area; it is hardy to minus 40 and performs well in containers and beds.  The variegated foliage is green with a golden edge that fades to a soft cream color in the fall.  The blooms, which are bee and butterfly magnets, start as large clusters of soft pink and open up to a deep pink.  The bloom stalks will even stay around during the winter months to add more interest to your garden.  We found this Skagit Garden plant at Gardener’s Choice in Tigard (503-684-2727), where they had a great selection!
 

FESCUE 'BEYOND BLUE'
 September 8, 2012

Our plant pick this week is not known for its showy flowers.  No, the fescue ‘Beyond Blue’ doesn’t have big blooms, but it is a great addition to any garden.  Fall is the time for grasses to shine and this one really stands out in the garden.  The blue foliage is intense and will remain blue throughout the season without browning out.  The seed heads age to a straw color during the winter and will look great for months, until you cut them off next spring when the new growth starts to emerge.  It is a great accent plant in any garden and will even work well in large containers.  It only gets about a foot high and a foot wide so it stays nice and compact.  It is hardy to -30 so it is a winner in any climate.  We found these great Skagit Gardens plants at Portland Nursery on Division (503-788-9000), but you can find them at many local independent garden centers.
 

HELENIUM 'SHORT N' SASSY'
 August 18, 2012

Our plant pick this week is a plant with attitude! As the name implies this Helenium is ‘Short N’Sassy’. It is covered with glowing bright orange and gold blooms and stays lower to the ground than other Heleniums. It has a very long bloom time starting in the mid summer and lasting through to late fall, and it is very hardy for our area, surviving to -30 degrees! This plant is also a great plant for bees and butterflies. It can grow just about anywhere and under most conditions so it is a great one for beds, borders and even containers. We found this Skagit Gardens plant at Gardener’s Choice (503-684-2727) in Tigard, but you can find it at any garden center that carries Skagit plants.
 

SCABIOSA 'MARIPOSA VIOLET'
 August 4, 2012

The summer blooms may be looking tired in your garden, but we have a plant that will brighten up any flower bed! Our Skagit Garden plant pick this week is the Scabiosa ‘Mariposa Violet’. This perennial is covered in pincushion blossoms in a soft violet color. It will stay short, around a foot tall and wide, so it will work well in any border or even a pot. This one is also very hardy, surviving to below zero. You can use the blooms as cut flowers, or leave it in the garden to attract butterflies or other nectar feeders! We found a great selection at Dennis 7 Dee’s in Cedar Hills, but they can be found at local garden centers that feature Skagit Gardens plants.
 

PHYGELIUS CANDY DROPS RED
 July 21, 2012

Last year we featured Phygelius ’Deep Rose’. This year we are featuring another plant from the CandyDrops collection, CandyDrops Red. This plant pick from Skagit Gardens is a tasty treat for any garden! The CandyDrops series of phygelius are a bright rainbow of colors. The CandyDrops Red is one of the best perennials for the summer garden because of its great color and other attributes. This plant is known for its clusters of flowers on long stems. It blooms starting in late spring, through summer and right up until the first frost. Plus it is a hummingbird magnet! It stays compact and would work well in containers mixed with other plants. It is fairly hardy for our area and will survive down to 10 degrees. Check out this great perennial at your favorite independent garden center that carries Skagit Garden plants.
 

PENSTEMON 'HOT PINK RIDING HOOD'
 July 7, 2012

For all-season color in a perennial, Penstemon ‘Hot Pink Riding Hood’ performs beautifully in the garden and in large mixed containers. Slender flower stems are loaded with vivid pink blossoms, and the glossy foliage is well branched. This Penstemon is one in a series of Riding Hood colors that includes Blue and Red. Planted in full sun and in soil with good drainage, ‘Hot Pink Riding Hood’ is easy to grow, drought tolerant once established and is hardy to -20 degrees. It is an excellent cut flower, and it also attracts hummingbirds to you garden! We found this week’s Skagit Gardens’ plant pick at Portland Nursery (503-231-5050) on Stark, but it is also available at other local independent garden centers.
 

CHOCOLATE COSMOS
 June 30, 2012

This week our plant pick gave us our ‘chocolate fix’ in the garden! Blooming Nursery shared the Cosmos atrosanguineus aka ‘Chocolate Cosmos’ with us. The Chocolate Cosmos is one of those plants where the name fits it perfectly. The blooms of this plant have the light fragrance of chocolate! On a hot day the scent gets stronger! It will get about 2 feet tall and wide. The flowers are a deep maroon with a dark center and stand tall above the foliage. They love full sun and well drained soil. This plant is a tender perennial in our area, but with a little protection they will return every year. They have such a ‘tasty’ smell you’ll want more than one! We found this one at Tsugawa Nursery (360-225-8750) in Woodland Washington but you can find it at many local nurseries that carry the Blooming Advantage burgundy pot. You can also go to their website (800-257-0719) to find a retailer near you!
 

CEANOTHUS 'MARIE SIMON'
 June 23, 2012

Our Blooming Advantage plant pick this week is the Ceanothus ‘Marie Simon’. This ceanothus is loaded with rose-pink color blooms that will last until the end of July. They will become red seed pods which match the red stems perfectly. In the winter the plant will lose all its leaves which will show off the red stems even more. It is a bee and butterfly magnet, but not a deer magnet. They don’t like the taste of ‘Marie’. Marie Simon will get 5 foot by 5 foot and is drought tolerant when it becomes established. You can find this Blooming Nursery plant at fine local independent garden centers. Just look for the burgundy ‘Blooming Advantage’ pot. We found a great selection at Portland Nursery on Stark
 

There is nothing like a Mai Tai during the summer. In our case we are talking about the plant pick of the week from Skagit Gardens. Geum ‘Mai Tai’ is part of the Cocktails series of Geums that have been recently introduced. These are sterile plants so they won’t spread all over your garden and they bloom for a long time! The flowers also change over time. They start as a apricot color and shift to peach and pale pink as they age. These geums like full sun or even a little shade. They are hardy in our area, surviving to -20 degrees. They are great in the middle of your garden bed and get only 10 to 18 inches tall and 2 feet wide. You will love this plant! Look for it at your local garden center that carries Skagit Garden plants.
 

SPIREA 'MAGIC CARPET'
 June 9, 2012

Our plant pick this week comes to us from Blooming Nursery.  Spirea ‘Magic Carpet’ is a bright spot in the spring and summer garden.  It has great foliage in shades of copper, coral and rose and it is topped with incredible pink flowers.  Once they bloom in the spring you can cut them off and it will produce a rebloom of color.  Magic Carpet loves full sun to part shade and will get 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide.  It is also hardy to -20 degrees!  It will become a favorite in your garden for years to come.  You can find it at your local garden center, just look for the Blooming Advantage purple pot.
 

DELPHINIUM 'GREEN TWIST'
 June 2, 2012

Our plant pick this week is a new ‘twist’ on an old favorite from Skagit Gardens.  The New Millennium series of Delphiniums is designed to be a stronger plant than the older, floppier, version.  The one we featured was called ‘Green Twist’ and it was loaded with bloom stems.  These will produce white blooms tinged with light green.  Not only is it hardy to -40 degrees, it also tolerates more heat and humidity than its older cousins.  It can get pretty big from 4 to 6 feet tall and a couple of feet wide, but it is a great performer in the perennial garden.  You can find this plant at your favorite Skagit Garden’s nursery.  We found a great selection at Drakes 7 Dees (503-256-2223) in East Portland near 165th and Stark.
 

When we think of fuchsias we normally think about the trailing fuchsias that we have in our hanging baskets. These look spectacular in the summer and fall and then die during the cold winter months. How would you like a fuchsia that will bloom in your garden and return year after year? This week’s plant pick from Blooming Nursery will do just that. Fuchsia ‘Queen Esther’ is a plant that can go right into the ground in your garden. It is hardy to about 0 degrees and will bloom from summer through fall. The blooms are a pink and magenta mix and will just cover the plant in full bloom. You will want to give this one a little space since it will get to be about 3 to 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide. We found this one at Garland Nursery in Corvallis but you can find it at many local nurseries that carry the Blooming Advantage burgundy pot. You can also go to their website (800-257-0719) to find a retailer near you!
 

KNAUTIA 'THUNDER AND LIGHTNING'
 May 19, 2012

Our plant pick this week comes to us from Skagit Gardens. This lovely Knautia has fully double, dark magenta blossoms that seem to float on thin stems above the light green and creamy white foliage. Sturdy, bushy and compact, it is large enough for maximum impact in the garden and tidy enough to be showy in containers. Drought tolerant and deer resistant, it is easy to grow in a wide range of soils. Like most Knautias, ‘Thunder and Lightning’ is attractive to bees and other nectar feeders. You can find this plant at Dennis 7 Dee’s in Cedar Hills (503-297-1058) or any nursery that carry fine quality Skagit plants.
 

HEUCHERELLA 'DAYGLOW PINK'
 May 12, 2012

Our plant pick of the week from Blooming Nursery is a stunner!  The Heucherella ‘Dayglow Pink’ is just loaded with blooms right now.  The large pink flower spikes tower over the green foliage which features a streak of chocolate brown down the center of the leaf.  This plant will stay in a clumping form and grow to about 1 and half feet wide to about a foot and a half tall.  It likes full sun to a little bit of shade and once established it likes moist but well drained soil.  You can find this great plant at most of your independent garden centers that carry the Blooming Advantage burgundy pot.   We found a great selection at Shorty’s on Mill Plain in Vancouver!
 

DIANTHUS - SHINING STAR
 May 5, 2012

Our plant pick would be a ‘star’ in any garden.  The Dianthus ‘Shining Star’ is a great bloomer for containers or for the front of a border.  It is loaded with bright pink ‘carnation’ type flowers with a dark center that are just starting to come on now!  Even when it isn’t blooming it has wonderful blue green foliage.  It will get about 6 inches high and about 8 inches across.  It is hardy and tolerates the heat well.  It even has a nice ‘light’ spicy scent.  This Skagit Gardens plant was found at Garland Nursery (1-800-296-6601) in Corvallis, but you can find it at a lot of the local garden centers around the area.  Just look for the ‘Plant Pick of the Week’ signs!
 

HEBE - TURKISH DELIGHT
April 28, 2012

Our plant pick this week is a delight, and not just in name only.  This is a great 4 season plant.  In spring the leaves emerge in a rich burgundy color and then transition to a deep green into summer when the spikes of mauve flowers show up.  The fall brings back the burgundy color and that stays through the winter.  It likes consistent water but it can handle some dry periods during the summer months.  It grows well in our area, but could use a little protection if it is exposed in the winter months.   It will get about 3 feet tall and wide.  You can find this wonderful little plant at any nursery that carries Blooming Advantage (800-257-0719) plants. Look for the burgundy pot!
 

DICENTRA BURNING HEARTS
April 21, 2012

 

Our plant pick of the week is a bunch of plants, but really just one.  We have featured Dicentra before on the show.  Dicentra, also known as ‘bleeding heart’, is a great, hardy, shade loving perennial.  This plant has many different forms (the spectabilis, White ‘alba’, and ‘Gold Heart’ varieties), but we really wanted to focus on the newest one, ‘Burning Hearts’.  This new variety is an EXTREMELY hardy plant that can survive temperatures down to -40.  It will also stay low to the ground and only spreads to about a foot wide.  It has great blue/green foliage with delicate cut leaves.  It also has some incredible flowers that are deep red with white edges.   It is a true show stopper for something so small.  This is another one of the great plants from Skagit Gardens and you can find it at independent garden centers that carry Skagit plants.  We found a great selection at Gardeners Choice (503-684-2727) in Tigard.
 

BERGENIA 'ABENDGLUT' EVENING GLOW
April 14, 2012

Our plant pick this week is another great one from Blooming Nursery.  The Bergenia ‘Abendglut’ is a great performer in the Northwest garden.  Also called ‘Elephant Ears’, this variety is also called ‘Evening Glow’, and it is very hardy for our area.  These plants have large foliage (thus the Elephant Ears name) that will get a deep purple or burgundy during the winter and then go to a nice even green during the spring.  The striking feature of this plant is the tall spikes of blooms that show up in the spring.  The vivid pink blooms are beautiful when they have the dark green foliage as a backdrop.  Once those flowers start to die back you can cut them off and enjoy the foliage for the rest of the year.  It will get about 15 inches tall and about a foot across in about 5 years.  It will work well in a pot or as a plant in the middle of your garden beds.  It is a very easy plant to grow and we found this one at Shorty’s in Vancouver but you can find it at most of the local independent garden centers in our area.
 

CALLA LILY HARDY WHITE
April 7, 2012

 

Our plant pick for this week is perfect for the Easter season!  This week Skagit Gardens sent us the Calla Lily ‘Hardy White’ as our plant pick of the week.  The Hardy White is just that!  Hardy to minus 10 and has huge blooms of white.  Over time in your garden it will create a huge mound of flowers.  It can handle full sun to part shade and can grow in just about any type of soil.  The blooms will last a long time in the garden and are perfect cut flowers if you want to enjoy them inside the home.  Check out the Calla Lily Hardy White at your local independent garden center.
 

DICENTRA - GOLD HEART
March 24, 2012

Welcome Blooming Nursery (800-257-0719) as our co-sponsor of the Plant Pick of the week.  Grace Dinsdale met us at her growing operation near Cornelius to share their first selection of the year with us.  This one is the Dicentra, also known as Bleeding Heart, ‘Gold Heart’.  This plant likes morning sun to part shade, though that isn’t a problem this early in the season.  It has golden foliage on its new growth.  It has wonderful rosy-pink heart shaped flowers that grow on long flower stems.  It takes well drained soil and doesn’t like really wet feet.  In most cases it will die back in the middle of summer and then return again in the early spring.  It is hardy to -20.  It really loves the conditions here in the Northwest and works well in a border or shade garden.  Plant it in an area where you have some late summer bloomers and it will fill the space with color for those spring months until your other plants start to get going.  You can find this plant and all the great Blooming Nursery plants by going to their website and clicking on their retail locator tab.  Remember to look for the burgundy pot and the Blooming Advantage logo for quality Blooming Nursery plants.
 

AUBRIETA 'AXCENT DARK RED'
March 17, 2012

Our plant pick this week is one that is a great bloomer for the early spring garden.  The Aubrieta ‘Axcent Dark Red’.  The large flowers will start to appear now and will continue to bloom until early June.  It is a vigorous grower that will stay compact and mounding.  It is disease resistant and very heat tolerant.  The large flower makes it the perfect plant for borders, small garden spaces and even containers.  It is very hardy, surviving down to -30 degrees!  You can find this Skagit Gardens plant at many of your local independent garden centers.     

KENNEDY IRISH 'DRUMCLIFF'
March 3, 2012

Our plant pick for this week is another great one from Skagit Gardens.  The Primula (primrose) Kennedy Irish ‘Drumcliff’ is one of the darkest primroses on the market.  But don’t let the dark foliage fool you.  This hardy little plant has some large white flowers that have a blush of lavender.  The Kennedy series was introduced on the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of John F. Kennedy.  Drumcliff gets 5 inches high and 5 inches wide and is prefect for a border, basket or container and will bloom from now until May.  You can find Primrose Drumcliff at any local garden center carrying Skagit plants.  We found this one at Dennis 7 Dees in Cedar Hills near Beaverton.
 

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